Christmas at the log cabin

 Dear Readers,

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! 

I´d have liked to have this blog post ready for Christmas Day but life got in the way and I haven't had time to take pictures until a few days ago.

The Christmas holidays are over in most parts of the world but I´m lucky enough to live in Spain and enjoy the festive season until the 6th of January so I´m still in time to share this post with you.

A log cabin sits quietly in a snowy field surrounded by tall pine trees.The air is crisp and cold, but the smoke rising from the chimney hints at the warmth inside.

A Christmas wreath decorated with red berries and a festive ribbon hangs on the front door, adding a welcoming touch.

The door is unlocked so let´s have a look inside...

Despite the cold weather outside, the inside of the cabin feels warm and cozy.

The air is filled with the scent of cinnamon and spices mingled with the sweet smell of freshly baked cookies.

The kitchen area has a rustic and vintage charm.

In the living room, the Christmas decorations and the glowing fire from the wood stove create a homey and festive atmosphere.

You're probably wondering who lives here.

You´re about to find out!

Grandma Pearl Babblebrook lives in the heart of a snowy forest in the small village of Carrot Field Hollow.

Despite her age, her love for Christmas never faded. Every year, she decorated her log cabin with a beautiful Christmas tree and festive ornaments.

However, this Christmas,her heart felt a bit heavy. Her grandchildren had grown up and were spending the holidays with their in-laws. She understood and was happy for their new traditions but she couldn´t help but feel a little sad.

On Christmas Eve, Pearl had been knitting for hours.It was a hobby that entertained her and made the time pass more quickly.Then, she made herself a cup of tea and put on the radio that always kept her company. 

Suddenly, she heard the door creak open.

To her surprise and delight, it was her youngest grandson, Peter, and his girlfriend, Peace, who had stepped inside.

"Oh my! What a wonderful surprise, my dear!" Pearl couldn´t believe her eyes.

"GRANDMA!" Peter exclaimed, wrapping her in a warm hug. "We couldn't bear the thought of you being alone this Christmas.

She couldn´t help holding back her tears of emotion when Peace gave her a big hug and told her :"We´ve missed you, Grandma.We´re going to spend a few days with you".

Oh, you´ve made me the happiest grandma in Sylvania! Welcome, my dears! You must be exhausted and hungry after your long trip. You are in luck! I have a batch of cookies about to come out of the oven.Make yourselves at home!"

While grandma took the cookies out of the oven, Peter went to get his guitar from the van and Peace made some tea.

Peter and Peace sat comfortably by the wood stove .Grandma

was over the moon on her rocking chair enjoying the company of her grandchildren.They caught up on how things were going and also remembered, with great fondness and some nostalgia, what Christmas was like when Peter and his siblings were just kids. 

They also sang Christmas carols.Peter played the guitar. Peace, the recorder and even Grandma accompanied the carols playing a tambourine that she still had from when her grandchildren were just kids.

They spent the rest of the day enjoying life's little pleasures: they had lively conversations , shared stories, laughed together, enjoyed delicious home-made food, gave heartul hugs and created memories that would last forever

On Christmas morning, Grandma made a special breakfast for Peter and Peace to celebrate their time together.She prepared a special pastry typical from her village at Christmas time and hot chocolate.

Peter and Peace were very grateful. "It feels so good to be here! Thanks a lot, Grandma" Peter said. 

"My pleasure, my dear. I really have to thank you for coming. If I´m a good hostess, maybe you´ll come to see me more often." Grandma laughed and winked.

After enjoying their delicious breakfast, they gathered around the Christmas tree to exchange gifts.

Grandma was given a shawl made by Eleanor Bramble, the Sweet Berry Valley dressmaker. She  was thrilled because it was almost the same as one she had lost and which was her favourite.She also got a box of chocolates made by the famous Sylvanian´s chocolatier, Frasier Chocolate.

Now, it was Peter and Peace's turn to open their Christmas gift. When they saw the size of the package they were shocked. It was huge!

What could it be?

"WOW!  It´s lovely!" They both exclaimed at the same time when they spread the large, colourful blanket that Grandma had been knitting for months.

"This blanket is for both of you, to keep you warm and remind you of this special Christmas," Grandma said with a smile.

And so, that Christmas became one of the most cherished moments for Grandma Pearl, Peter and Peace .

They promised to visit more often,because the true magic of Christmas is spending time with the ones you love.

The log cabin is one of my latest acquisitions. I bought it second hand a few months ago.It will probably be used as a home for other families. It´ll just be a matter of rearranging the furniture. Not having to wallpaper it makes it easier to transform it into a different home.

My sister made the blanket for Peter and Peace.She´s very thoughtful and I really appreciate her support of my hobby. 

The quality of the pictures is not very good because the lighting wasn´t the best. Days are darker and shorter in winter and I have less time to take pictures with natural light.

Anyway,I hope you liked the log cabin tour and the little Christmas story.

Enjoy the rest of the festive season!

I wish the New Year brings you good health, good luck and many happy moments.

A big hug! See you soon!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Dear Readers,

Hope you´re doing well.

In today's post I'm going to show you the pictures I've taken for the October challenge in the Sylvanian Forum. 

In the nine years that I´ve been collecting Sylvanians, this is the first time that I´ve taken pictures about this festival.

As I didn't have any costumes for my Sylvanians and I'm not very good at making them either,I've let the years go by without taking any Halloween related pictures. 

Some time ago, my friend Amaia gave me a blind bag from the magical baby series and I got a Periwinkle baby rabbit with a cauldron so this little bunny has inspired me to set up my first Halloween scenes.

Hope you like them!

The Periwinkles are decorating their house for Halloween.

"Is it OK there, kids!"

"It´s perfect, dad!" Now, let´s hang the ghost".

Alex is helping his kids with the decorations while his wife Kate is busy finishing little Henry´s costume.

He´s very excited about Halloween.

"Mum,is my costume ready yet?"

"Just a few more stitches to go, Henry!"

"TA-DA!"

"Here it is, sweetheart"

"Thank you , mum" Now I can prepare my magic potion!"

Henry put on his costume and then prepared a magic potion. 

Will his magic spell work?...

"ABRACADABRA-ABRACADOO..."

BOO!

Poor Henry!He got a bit of a fright!

Thank goodness,Kate had the magic formula to make little Henry's fright go away.

"Want to try one of these sweets? I made them for the trick or treaters."

And Mum´s sweets worked their magic! There was no longer any trace of fright on Henry´s face but a big grin from ear to ear at the sight of the plate full of yummy treats.

Oranges and lemons

Dear Readers, 

A few weeks ago, when I showed you my birthday gifts, I promised you that we would see Peter and Pece in their new clothes very soon.

Today's story is very short and is inspired by the bright colours of their new outfits.

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One sunny afternoon, Peter and Peace decided to take a leisurely walk through Sweet Berry Valley. Their path led them to a charming grove filled with lemon and orange trees, their branches heavy with ripe fruit.

As they strolled the grove, they noticed some lemons and oranges on the ground. Not knowing who the trees belonged to, they decided to gather the fallen fruit.

They ended up filling a bag of lemons and oranges.

When they were back home with their fruit,Peter and Peace set to work in their kitchen.

Peter squeezed the fresh oranges and lemons, filling glasses with refreshing juice.

 and Peace prepared some tasty sandwiches. 

They  enjoyed their homemade afternoon snack and each other´s company in their cozy garden.

See you soon!

A thoughtful birthday gift

Dear Readers,

In today's post I want to show you the Sylvanian related gifts I received for my birthday.

My birthday was in June, but my sister gave me her present a few weeks ago when I went to spend a few days in my hometown.

She always gets it right with her gifts, she knows me very well and knows what makes me happy.

This year she gave me some pampering products and a few other things related to my favourite hobby. 

Look a this cute little box!

It didn't take Peter and Peace long to discover the box. Peter Rabbit was Peter's favourite childhood character so he was delighted.

With a little effort they managed to open it.

What will be inside? We´ll soon find out because Peter and Peace are a curious pair of bunnies.

"Peace, you´re going to like this!"

"A bag and a flower headband!" Peace exclaimed with a pair of comfy shoes in her hands.

"How lovely!"Peace was over the moon!

She tried on the shoes, they were her size and very comfortable. The bag also looked great on her.

And finally the flower headband.

"How do I look?" 

"You look great,Peace. You always do" Peter said looking proudly at his girlfriend.

As Peace lifted up her dress a little so we could see how well her shoes fit, Peter approached the box again. Maybe there was something else.

"Peace, come over here! I see something you're going to love!"

Wow! What a lovely dress! So bright and colourful!Peace was thrilled!

"Cutata, no photos while I´m changing my clothes,ok?"

"No worries, Peace!" I won't take any more photos until you've put on your new dress."

 

"Ta-dah! What do you think, Peter?"

"Oh! Wow! You look gorgeous, Peace!". 

"These colours really suit you!".

"Thank you! I love it!"

"Now, it´s your turn .Will you try it on?"

"It looks great on you, Peter!. We're both very colour-coordinated"

"Peter, lift me up please, I want to see if there's anything else left".

"Ahh... Look! it´s a baby´s outfit! Isn´t it cute?"

"We'll keep it in case we ever have a baby."

Peter and Peace are delighted with their new clothes and so am I. 

Henry Periwinkle has tried on the baby suit so you can see how well it suits him.

My sister has a friend who is very good at amigurimi. She makes lovely crochet animals and characters.

As my sister knows how much I love clothes for my Sylvanians she ordered her friend to make some crochet outfits for a couple of hippy Sylvanian bunnies. It was really nice of her to think of Peter and Peace!

However,her friend hadn't made clothes for Sylvanians before, so my sister let her  the Osborne bear mother as a model and look what beautiful things she has made. Don't you think so?

I am very grateful to my sister for giving me such a thoughtful gift and to her friend for the excellent job she has done. Both Peter and Peace and I are very pleased.

Apart from the clothes, my sister also gave me some miniatures that are always useful to set up scenes. A breakfast tray, some flower pots and two glass containers for decoration.

I´d also like to show you the gift that my husband and my kids gave me on my birthday.

The Latte Cat Family!

 

Aren´t they lovely? I was in love with this family since first I saw it. 

They kind of remind me of the Whiskers Cat Family, a very nice family but rare and hard to find nowadays.

As you´ve just seen my Latte cats are still in their box. I only took away the waffle, the bag and the drinks. I sholud set them free soon. They must be looking forward to going out and enjoying a  nice cup of  tea or coffee in Sweet Valley.

At the top of my wish list is the "Exciting Exploration Set" I´d love to get it to bring the whole family together. 

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And that's all for today. I hope you enjoyed seeing my gifts. I promise you that soon we´ll see Peter and Peace out and about in their new clothes.

Hugs!